A Kerala consumer has won a case against Amazon Seller Services after the e-commerce platform allegedly delivered a different pair of Skechers shoes than what was ordered and later refused to refund the money, claiming that the returned item had gone missing in transit.

In an order dated June 30, 2026, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Kannur held Amazon Seller Services Pvt. Ltd. guilty of deficiency in service and directed it to refund the cost of the shoes along with compensation and litigation expenses.

Anima M, a resident of Chalad in Kannur, working as a a software engineer ordered a pair of Skechers men's casual shoes in black from Amazon on 22 September 2025. She paid Rs 1,945.30 for the shoes via GPay as part of a larger order totalling Rs 5,200.

The shoes arrived the very next day, on 23 September 2025. But what came out of the box was not what she had ordered.

Wrong shoes, no explanation

The complainant had ordered an all-black shoe. What Amazon delivered was a black shoe with a white sole, a product visually different from what was shown in the listing at the time of purchase.

She returned the product on 24 September 2025, a day later. Amazon acknowledged the return and told her the refund would be processed within a week.

It never came.

Instead, Amazon told her the returned item was missing and had not been received at their end. A message sent to her, which she later submitted to the commission as evidence, stated: "Your return is likely lost in transit."

Amazon offered no refund and no resolution.

A job offer in the middle of it all

The timing made the situation worse. The complainant had been called for a meeting in Bengaluru on 30 September 2025 in connection with a new job offer. She claimed in her complaint that the stress and distraction caused by Amazon's handling of the situation led to her losing that opportunity.

She sought Rs 1,945.30 as a refund for the shoes, Rs 2,00,000 as compensation for mental agony, and Rs 1,00,000 for the loss of the job offer.

What the commission found

Amazon received the commission's notice but did not appear before it and filed no written response. It was accordingly proceeded against ex-parte.

The complainant submitted seven documents as evidence, including the original tax invoice, the message from Amazon stating the return was lost in transit, a screenshot of the product listing, proof of delivery, her bank account statement, and an online complaint update. She was also examined as a witness.

The commission found that the product delivered was clearly different from what was ordered, and that the complainant had returned it promptly. With Amazon absent and its version of events uncontested, the commission accepted her account as credible.

On the job loss claim, however, the commission noted that the complainant had not produced any documents to substantiate her claim that she lost a job offer because of the incident. That part of her prayer was accordingly not granted.

What was ordered

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Kannur, presided over by President Ravi Susha and members Molykutty Mathew and Sajeesh K.P., directed Amazon to refund Rs 1,945.30 as the value of the product and pay Rs 8,000 as compensation for mental agony, along with Rs 4,000 towards litigation costs.

The total comes to Rs 13,945.30.

Amazon has 30 days from receipt of the order to comply. If it fails to do so, the refund and compensation amount of Rs 9,945.30 will attract interest at 9 per cent per annum from the date of the order until full payment is made.

Check the case judgement here: